Mary Jane Desirey, 87

Mary J. Desirey, age 87, passed away Aug. 16 in Sandpoint, Idaho, and is now resting in the arms of her savior.

Mary retired after 23 1/2 years of service as a rural letter carrier with the Sandpoint post office. She had also been an LPN nurse, an EMTD with the Sandpoint ambulance, worked for a realtor’s office, was a commuter bus driver, drove truck, was a volunteer firefighter, mother, grandmother and wife. As well as a number of other jobs, Mary used to say she was a Jane of many trades and a master of some.

She enjoyed her children of which she gave birth to four, two boys and two girls, vacationing with her husband of 50 years, knitting, crocheting, doing knitted lace, and recently went back to oil painting. Something she had done when her children were real small. Mary enjoyed any kind of craft. The more challenging, the better. She enjoyed the challenge of learning a new endeavor.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Florence D. Rasmussen of Sagle and James C. Goodwin Sr. of Washington.

She was a graduate of CV High in Veradale, Wash. She went to work at age 16 at Deaconess Hospital while still going to school and night school, to help her family of 10, five step-siblings and two siblings and her parents.

After she married, she moved to Oregon for 17 years. After nine years on her own with her four children, she met her forever love. She then moved to Pocatello, Idaho, to be close to her widowed mother and married the love of her life, her present husband, whom had followed her there. There she worked in a laundry, doing mending before moving to Sandpoint in 1977. She was born and raised in southern Idaho, until the age of 14 when she moved to Veradale, Wash., to reside with her father and continued school until she married her children’s father.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Doran D. Desirey; and her brother, Joseph R. Goodwin, of Utah; and four children. Of those, the farthest away were her oldest, Ronald D. Jennings, who moved to Alaska when he was 17 and she has only seen once since then and her youngest, Leslie Wolf of Sandpoint, whom she rarely got to see since she went into the Air Force after graduating high school because of the distance, but has always kept in touch with both via phone. She is also survived by 11 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and brother James C. “Cliff” Goodwin Jr., of Idaho. Both her daughters went into the service. The oldest in the Army and the youngest in the Air Force.

Mary’s final resting place will be at the Westmond Cemetery with her husband, Doran, where her mother is also at rest. A graveside service will be held at noon on Sept. 19, 2026.

Family and friends are invited to sign Mary’s online guest book at coffeltfuneral.com.

Arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.